Locality-based video playback to enable locally relevant product placement advertising

ABSTRACT

A system and method are disclosed for providing a digital medium, such as a Digital Video Disc (DVD), enabling playback of different versions of a media presentation depending on the locality of the viewer, where each version includes embedded advertisements for a corresponding locality. In one embodiment, a DVD stores a media presentation such as, for example, a movie, an episode of a television program, or the like. Depending on the location of the viewer, the DVD provides a version of the media presentation having embedded advertisements relevant to the locality of the viewer.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to embedding advertisements in a mediapresentation such as a movie, and more particularly relates to enablinglocality-based product placement advertising in a media presentationstored on a digital medium, such as a Digital Video Disc (DVD).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

For video content such as television and movies, embedded advertising isquickly becoming an effective alternative to traditional commercialadvertising. As used herein, “embedded advertisements” areadvertisements such as images of advertised products or logos placed inscenes of a movie or television program where the video content ismodified to include the advertised product or logo. For broadcastcontent such as television, the video content may be modified at thesource to include embedded advertisements. For example, the DigitalBrand Integration (DBI™) service provided by Marathon Ventures,http://marathonventures.com, enables product placement in video contentsuch as episodes of television programs before the episodes arebroadcast to viewers.

While embedding advertisements at the content source works well forbroadcast video content, it is less than adequate to provide embeddedadvertisements in video content stored on read-only medium such asDigital Video Discs (DVDs). This is especially true if embeddedadvertisements relevant to the locality of the viewer are desired. Thus,there is a need for a system and method of providing embeddedadvertisements in a media presentation stored by read-only media such asa DVD where the embedded advertisements are relevant to the locality ofthe viewer.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a system and method of providing adigital medium, such as a Digital Video Disc (DVD), enabling playback ofdifferent versions of a media presentation depending on the locality ofthe viewer, where each version includes embedded advertisements for acorresponding locality. In one embodiment, a DVD stores a mediapresentation such as, for example, a movie, an episode of a televisionprogram, or the like. Depending on the location of the viewer, the DVDprovides a version of the media presentation having embeddedadvertisements relevant to the locality of the viewer.

More specifically, in one embodiment, the DVD stores a number oforiginal video segments or cells forming all or a significant portion ofan original version of the media presentation. The original version ofthe media presentation may not include any embedded advertisements.Alternatively, the original version of the media presentation mayinclude one or more default embedded advertisements. In addition, foreach of a number of defined localities, the DVD stores modified videosegments corresponding to segments of the original version of the mediapresentation and including embedded advertisements relevant to thelocality. The DVD also includes a number of coded Program Chains (PGCs).For each of the defined localities, a corresponding coded PGC defines aversion of the media presentation for the locality from the originalvideo segments and the modified video segments for the locality.

In operation, a PGC selection function of the DVD identifies one of thedefined localities in which the viewer is located. Based on theidentified locality, the PGC selection function selects the PGC for thatlocality and initiates playback of the media presentation. As such, theversion of the media presentation including the modified video segmentshaving embedded advertisements relevant to that locality is presented tothe viewer.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate the scope of the presentinvention and realize additional aspects thereof after reading thefollowing detailed description of the preferred embodiments inassociation with the accompanying drawing figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

The accompanying drawing figures incorporated in and forming a part ofthis specification illustrate several aspects of the invention, andtogether with the description serve to explain the principles of theinvention.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary Digital Video Disc (DVD) according toone embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a number of coded Program Chains (PGCs) stored on theDVD, where each of the coded PGCs corresponds to a particular localityaccording to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates the operation of the pointers within one of the codedPGCs of FIG. 2 according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates the operation of the PGC selection function of theDVD of FIG. 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary process for producing the DVD of FIG. 1according to one embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The embodiments set forth below represent the necessary information toenable those skilled in the art to practice the invention and illustratethe best mode of practicing the invention. Upon reading the followingdescription in light of the accompanying drawing figures, those skilledin the art will understand the concepts of the invention and willrecognize applications of these concepts not particularly addressedherein. It should be understood that these concepts and applicationsfall within the scope of the disclosure and the accompanying claims.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating various components of a DigitalVideo Disc (DVD) 10 providing a media presentation such as a movie,television program, or the like according to one embodiment of thepresent invention. As used herein, “DVD” is to include traditional DVDsas well as Blu-ray and HD-DVD DVDs. Further, while the discussion hereinfocuses on DVDs, the present invention is not limited thereto. Thepresent invention is equally applicable to any digital medium, such asany read-only medium, that stores a media presentation in a number ofsegments or cells and a set of identifiers, such as an array ofpointers, is used to define the order in which the segments arepresented to the user.

As illustrated, the DVD 10 includes a Program Chain (PGC) selectionfunction 12, a number of coded PGCs 14 where each of the coded PGCs 14generally corresponds to one of a number of defined localities, a numberof original video segments, or cells, 16 forming an original version ofa media presentation provided by the DVD 10, and a number of modifiedvideo segments, or cells, 18 having embedded advertisements for each ofa number of localities. As discussed below, together, the original videosegments 16 and the modified video segments 18 are used to provideversions of the media presentation including locality relevantadvertisements embedded therein.

The PGC selection function 12 generally operates to identify one of anumber of predetermined localities in which a viewer of the DVD 10 islocated and to select a corresponding one of the coded PGCs 14 to beused for playback. The predetermined localities may be, for example,states within the United States; geographic regions within the UnitedStates and/or other country(s); geographic regions of the United Statesand/or other country(s) defined by time zones, zip codes, or area codes;or the like. The locality of the viewer may be stored by a mediaplayback device playing the DVD 10 such as a DVD player, personalcomputer equipped with a DVD drive, or the like. For example, thelocality, or more specifically a code identifying the locality, may bestored in the internal registers of a DVD player such as reservedregister fields SPRM 21 or 23.

The PGC selection function 12 may be implemented using any knowntechnique such as, for example, software or instructions providing amenu such as those used to select a title for playback on traditionalDVDs. In operation, the PGC selection function 12 may identify thelocality in which the viewer is located by presenting a menu to theviewer via a device or system playing the DVD 10, where the menu enablesthe viewer to select the viewer's locality, enter or select the viewer'szip code or area code, enter or select the country, state, and/or cityin which the viewer is located, or the like. For example, the viewer maybe presented with a map of the United States and be asked to select thestate in which he is located. As an alternative, the PGC selectionfunction 12 may instruct a device or system playing the DVD 10 to obtainthe device's or system's location from, for example, an associatedGlobal Positioning System (GPS) receiver, a base station in a cellularnetwork, an associated Internet Service Provider (ISP), or the like.

The coded PGCs 14 include a PGC for each of the predeterminedlocalities. In addition, as discussed below, the coded PGCs 14 may alsoinclude a default PGC to be used when the locality of the viewer isunknown. In general, each of the coded PGCs 14 is an array of pointersto ones of the video segments 16 and 18 that defines a version of themedia presentation for the corresponding locality. Note that while thearray of pointers is discussed herein, the present invention is notlimited thereto. More specifically, a set of identifiers identifying theones of the video segments 16 and 18 forming the version of the mediapresentation for the corresponding locality may be used, where the setof identifiers may be an array of pointers or an array of identifiers ofthe segments.

In one embodiment, the original video segments 16 include a number ofvideo segments forming the original version of the media presentationprovided by the DVD 10 without embedded advertisements. Alternatively,the original video segments 16 may include only the segments of themedia presentation that are needed in light of the modified videosegments 18. For example, if a particular segment of the originalversion of the media presentation is replaced in all of the coded PGCs14, then that segment of the original media presentation may not bestored on the DVD 10 as one of the original video segments 16. Asanother alternative, the original video segments 16 may include a numberof video segments forming an original or default version of the mediapresentation having default advertisements embedded therein. The defaultadvertisements may be, for example, advertisements for international ornational products or businesses such as Coca-Cola®, Nike®, Motorola®,and the like.

For each of the predetermined localities, the modified video segments 18include one or more segments of the media presentation havingadvertisements relevant to the corresponding locality embedded therein.As used herein, “embedded” advertisements refer to advertisementsembedded in the actual media content. In one embodiment, embeddedadvertisements may be, for example, images of advertised products orlogos embedded in one or more scenes of a movie or television programsuch that it appears as though the advertised products appeared in theoriginal scenes of the movie or television program. Thus, in thisembodiment, the advertisements may be embedded into the segments asoverlays. For example, a segment may be modified to include a can ofCoca-Cola® or a box of a local brand of cereal on a table appearing in aparticular scene or scenes or to place a shopping bag from a localdepartment store within a particular scene. As another example, a logoor other advertisement may be embedded into a segment by overlaying theadvertisement on the side of a truck or bus, on a billboard signappearing in a scene, or the like.

In another embodiment, the modified video segments 18 may be alternativescenes filmed with different products or logos appearing in the scene.For example, a particular scene may be filmed once for the firstlocality such that a product or other advertisement relevant to thefirst locality appears in the scene. The same scene may be re-filmed foreach of the other localities such that products or other advertisementsrelevant to those localities appear in the scene. Thus, in thisembodiment, the embedded advertisements are the actual products oradvertisements placed in the alternative filmed versions of the scene.

FIG. 2 illustrates the coded PGCs 14 according to one embodiment of thepresent invention. In this example, there are six coded PGCs 14: PGC_Athrough PGC_E and PGC_DEF. However, there may be any number of codedPGCs 14. Each of the PGCs PGC_A through PGC_E corresponds to aparticular locality. PGC_DEF is an optional default PGC to be used when,for example, the locality of a viewer cannot be determined or isotherwise unknown. The video segments 16 associated with the default PGC(PGC_DEF) may have embedded advertisements for international ornationwide products or businesses such as Coca-Cola®, Nike®, andMotorola®.

In this example, PGC_A is associated with a locality A. The locality Amay be, for example, one of the 50 states in the United States ofAmerica, one of a number of geographic regions in the United States suchas the Northeast, Midwest, South, and West regions of the United States,or the like. PGC_A includes pointers 20-1 through 20-7. Together, thepointers 20-1 through 20-7 identify ones of the segments 16 and 18 andan ordering of the ones of the segments 16 and 18 forming a version ofthe media presentation including embedded advertisements relevant to thelocality A.

More specifically, in this example, the pointer 20-1 is a pointer to oneof the original segments 16 (Cell 1), where Cell 1 is an originalversion of a first segment of the media presentation. The pointer 20-2is a pointer to one of the modified segments 18 (Cell 2A), where Cell 2Ais a modified version of a second segment of the media presentationincluding an advertisement for the locality A embedded therein. Thepointer 20-3 is a pointer to one of the original segments 16 (Cell 3),where Cell 3 is an original version of a third segment of the mediapresentation. The pointer 20-4 is a pointer to one of the modifiedsegments 18 (Cell 4A), where Cell 4A is a modified version of a fourthsegment of the media presentation including an advertisement for thelocality A embedded therein. The pointer 20-5 is a pointer to one of theoriginal segments 16 (Cell 5), where Cell 5 is an original version of afifth segment of the media presentation. The pointer 20-6 is a pointerto one of the modified segments 18 (Cell 6A), where Cell 6A is amodified version of a sixth segment of the media presentation includingan advertisement for the locality A embedded therein. The pointer 20-7is a pointer to one of the original segments 16 (Cell 7), where Cell 7is an original version of a seventh segment of the media presentation.Together, the video segments Cell 1, Cell 2A, Cell 3, Cell 4A, Cell 5,Cell 6A, and Cell 7 identified by the pointers 20-1 through 20-7 ofPGC_A form the version of the media presentation provided by the DVD 10having embedded advertisements relevant to the locality A.

In a similar fashion, pointers 22-1 through 22-7 identify video segmentsCell 1, Cell 2B, Cell 3, Cell 4B, Cell 5, Cell 6B, and Cell 7 forming aversion of the media presentation having embedded advertisementsrelevant to locality B. Pointers 24-1 through 24-7 identify videosegments Cell 1, Cell 2C, Cell 3, Cell 4C, Cell 5, Cell 6C, and Cell 7forming a version of the media presentation having embeddedadvertisements relevant to locality C. Pointers 26-1 through 26-7identify video segments Cell 1, Cell 2D, Cell 3, Cell 4D, Cell 5, Cell6D, and Cell 7 forming a version of the media presentation havingembedded advertisements relevant to locality D. Pointers 28-1 through28-7 identify video segments Cell 1, Cell 2E, Cell 3, Cell 4E, Cell 5,Cell 6E, and Cell 7 forming a version of the media presentation havingembedded advertisements relevant to locality E. Pointers 30-1 through30-7 identify video segments Cell 1, Cell 2_DEF, Cell 3, Cell 4_DEF,Cell 5, Cell 6_DEF, and Cell 7 forming a version of the mediapresentation having default advertisements embedded therein. The defaultadvertisements may be advertisements of, for example, international ornational products or services.

It should be noted that in an alternative embodiment, rather thanincluding the default PGC (PGC_DEF) and associated video segmentsincluding the default advertisements, the original segments 16 mayalternatively include the default advertisements embedded therein.

It should also be noted that while the coded PGCs 14 (PGC_A throughPGC_E and PGC_DEF) of FIG. 2 each include the same number of modifiedsegments 18 and include the modified segments 18 in the same positionsin the media presentation, the present invention is not limited thereto.More specifically, while each of the PGCs (PGC_A through PGC_E andPGC_DEF) are illustrated as including three modified segments 18including locality-relevant advertisements, the PGCs (PGC_A throughPGC_E and PGC_DEF) may each include any number of modified segments 18.Further, while each of the PGCs (PGC_A through PGC_E and PGC_DEF) isillustrated as replacing Cells 2, 4, and 6 with corresponding modifiedsegments 18, the present invention is not limited thereto. Thus, each ofthe coded PGCs 14 is independent of the others and may include anynumber of modified segments 18 in any desired cell position.

FIG. 3 is another illustration of the coded PGCs 14. More specifically,FIG. 3 illustrates the operation of the pointers 20-1 through 20-7 ofPGC_A. Note that the pointers in the other PGCs (PGC_B through PGC_E andPGC_DEF) operate in a similar fashion. As illustrated, PGC_A includesthe array of pointers 20-1 through 20-7. The pointers 20-1, 20-3, 20-5,and 20-7 point to corresponding ones of the original video segments 16stored on the DVD 10. Likewise, the pointers 20-2, 20-4, and 20-6 pointto corresponding ones of the modified segments for the locality A, whichare also stored on the DVD 10. When combined in the order defined by thearray of pointers 20-1 through 20-7, the segments Cell 1, Cell 2A, Cell3, Cell 4A, Cell 5, Cell 6A, and Cell 7 form the version of the mediapresentation including the embedded advertisements for the locality A.

FIG. 4 illustrates the operation of the PGC selection function 12 ofFIG. 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. First, uponbeing loaded by a device such as a DVD player or personal computerequipped with a DVD drive, the PGC selection function 12 obtains andstores the locality in which the viewer is located (step 100). Thelocality of the viewer is generally the locality of the device loadingand playing the DVD 10. As discussed above, the PGC selection function12 operates to select the locality of the viewer from a number ofpredetermined or predefined localities, where each of the localities isassociated with a corresponding one of the coded PGCs 14. The PGCselection function 12 may obtain the locality by enabling the viewer toselect his locality from the number of predetermined localities using amenu. As will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art, the menumay be provided according to the DVD specification which is available athttp://www.dvdfllc.co.jp. In another embodiment, the PGC selectionfunction 12 may include software or computer readable code thatinstructs the device playing the DVD 10 to obtain a location of thedevice and determine the locality of the device based thereon. Thelocation of the device may be obtained from an associated GPS receiver,an ISP to which the device has a network connection, a cellular basestation where the device has a cellular network connection, or the like.As another alternative, if the device has a dial-up modem, the area codeof the telephone number dialed by the dial-up modem may be used as thelocality or used to determine the locality. One of ordinary skill in theart will appreciate that other methods for obtaining or determining thelocality of the viewer may be used and are to be considered within thescope of the present invention. Once the locality is obtained, thelocality or a code identifying the locality may be stored by the deviceand accessed by the PGC selection function 12. For example, if thedevice is a DVD player, the code identifying the locality may be storedin reserved register fields SPRM 21 or 23.

Next, PGC selection function 12 determines whether the coded PGCs 14 arepresent on the DVD 10 (step 102). Step 102 is optional. The PGCselection function 12 may alternatively assume that the coded PGCs 14are present on the DVD 10. If the coded PGCs 14 are present, the PGCselection function 12 then determines whether any one of the coded PGCs14 matches the locality of the viewer (step 104). Step 104 may also beoptional. For example, if the PGC selection function 12 presents a menuto the viewer, the menu may be provided such that the viewer is forcedto select one of the predetermined localities, the default version ofthe media presentation, or optionally the original version of the mediapresentation including no embedded advertisements.

If there is a matching PGC, the PGC selection function 12 selects theone of the coded PGCs 14 matching the locality of the viewer to be usedfor playback (step 106). The selected PGC is then used to present to theviewer the version of the media presentation having embeddedadvertisements for the locality of the viewer.

Returning to steps 102 and 104, if the coded PGCs 14 are not present orif none of the coded PGCs 14 match the locality of the viewer, the PGCselection function 12 selects the default PGC (step 108). The defaultPGC is then used to present the default version of the mediapresentation to the viewer.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary process for creating the DVD 10 of thepresent invention. First, a producer or manufacturer of the DVD 10 orthe media presentation to be stored on the DVD 10 identifies segments ofthe media presentation that may be used for embedding advertisements(step 200). Advertisement slots are then sold to advertisers for each ofa number localities (step 202). The DVD 10 is then created (step 204).More specifically, the original segments 16 of the media presentationare produced or otherwise provided. For each locality, theadvertisements are embedded into or overlaid upon corresponding segmentsof the media presentation to provide the modified segments 18 of themedia presentation including the embedded advertisements for eachlocality. The modified segments 18 may be generated from the originalsegments 16. The coded PGCs 14 are created to define the versions of themedia presentations for each of the localities. The PGC selectionfunction 12, the coded PGCs 14, the original segments 16, and themodified segments 18 are then stored on the DVD 10.

The present invention provides substantial benefits over traditionalDVDs. More specifically, the DVD 10 of the present invention enablesviewers in different locations to view versions of a media presentationhaving locality-relevant advertisements embedded therein. Thus, forexample, the version of the media presentation presented to a viewer inCalifornia may include a scene where an embedded advertisement forMervyns, which is a department store chain based in Hayward, Calif., isembedded in a scene in the form of a shopping bag having the Mervynslogo. In contrast, the version of the media presentation presented to aviewer in Raleigh, N.C. may include an embedded advertisement forDillard's, which is a chain of department stores primarily located inthe South, is embedded in the same scene in the form of a shopping baghaving the Dillard's logo. Similarly, viewers in London, U.K. may bepresented with a version of the media presentation having advertisementsrelevant to the London area embedded therein.

Further, while the present invention is described herein as pertainingto embedded advertisements, the present invention is not limitedthereto. For example, in addition or alternatively, the modifiedsegments 18 and the coded PGCs 14 may be used to provide differentversions of the media presentation for other purposes. For example,different versions of the media presentation may be desired for users invarious localities for purposes other than embedded advertisements. Asanother example, the present invention may be used to provide a parentalcontrol feature. If the viewer is a child or underage viewer, thepresent invention may enable alternative scenes for children or underageviewers. For example an explicit scene in an R-rated movie may bereplaced with an alternative version of the scene that is moreappropriate for underage viewers. Still further, the present inventionmay allow such scenes to be deleted from the version of the mediapresentation for underage viewers. The above examples are not intendedto be an exhaustive list of uses for the present invention. Other useswill be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art upon reading thisdisclosure.

Those skilled in the art will recognize improvements and modificationsto the preferred embodiments of the present invention. All suchimprovements and modifications are considered within the scope of theconcepts disclosed herein and the claims that follow.

1. A non-transitory digital medium storing original video segmentsforming at least a portion of an original version of a mediapresentation, first modified video segments corresponding to videosegments of the original version of the media presentation and havingembedded advertisements for a first locality, and a first set ofidentifiers defining a first version of the media presentation for thefirst locality formed by the first modified video segments and at leastcertain ones of the original video segments, the digital mediumcomprising instructions for instructing a media playback device to:determine a locality of a viewer associated with the media playbackdevice desiring to view the media presentation; and select the first setof identifiers if the locality of the viewer is the first locality suchthat the first version of the media presentation including the firstmodified video segments having embedded advertisements for the firstlocality in place of corresponding original video segments is presentedto the viewer.
 2. The non-transitory digital medium of claim 1 whereinthe digital medium further stores second modified video segmentscorresponding to video segments of the original version of the mediapresentation and having embedded advertisements for a second locality,and a second set of identifiers defining a second version of the mediapresentation for the second locality formed by the second modified videosegments and at least certain ones of the original video segments, andfurther comprises instructions for instructing the media playback deviceto select the second set of identifiers if the locality of the viewer isthe second locality such that the second version of the mediapresentation including the second modified video segments havingembedded advertisements for the second locality is presented to theviewer.
 3. The non-transitory digital medium of claim 2 wherein theoriginal video segments are segments of the original version of themedia presentation not replaced in both the first and second versions ofthe media presentation.
 4. The non-transitory digital medium of claim 2wherein the digital medium is a Digital Video Disc (DVD) and the firstand second sets of identifiers are arrays of pointers.
 5. Thenon-transitory digital medium of claim 2 wherein the original videosegments comprise all video segments of the original version of themedia presentation, the first set of identifiers defines the firstversion of the media presentation such that the first modified videosegments replace corresponding ones of the original video segments, andthe second set of identifiers defines the second version of the mediapresentation such that the second modified video segments replacecorresponding ones of the original video segments.
 6. The non-transitorydigital medium of claim 5 wherein the original video segments of theoriginal version of the media presentation do not include embeddedadvertisements.
 7. The non-transitory digital medium of claim 5 whereinat least one of the original video segments of the original version ofthe media presentation comprises a default embedded advertisement. 8.The non-transitory digital medium of claim 1 wherein the digital mediumfurther stores default modified video segments corresponding to videosegments of the original version of the media presentation and havingdefault embedded advertisements that are generally applicable to anylocality, and a default set of identifiers defining a default version ofthe media presentation formed by the default modified video segments andat least certain ones of the original video segments, and furthercomprises instructions for instructing the media playback device toselect the default set of identifiers if the locality of the viewer isunknown such that the default version of the media presentation ispresented to the viewer.
 9. The non-transitory digital medium of claim 1wherein in order to determine the locality of the viewer, the digitalmedium is further adapted to instruct the media playback device to:present a menu to the viewer enabling the viewer to identify thelocality of the viewer; and receive input from the viewer identifyingthe locality of the viewer via the menu.
 10. The non-transitory digitalmedium of claim 1 wherein in order to determine the locality of theviewer, the digital medium is further adapted to instruct the mediaplayback device to obtain the locality of the viewer from a remotesource.
 11. The non-transitory digital medium of claim 1 wherein the atleast certain ones of the original segments are ones of the originalvideo segments that when combined with the first modified video segmentsform a complete version of the media presentation that includes theembedded advertisements for the first locality embedded therein.
 12. Amethod for presenting a version of a media presentation to a viewerhaving locality relevant advertisements embedded therein from a digitalmedium storing original video segments forming at least a portion of anoriginal version of the media presentation, first modified videosegments corresponding to video segments of the original version of themedia presentation and having embedded advertisements for a firstlocality, and a first set of identifiers defining a first version of themedia presentation for the first locality formed by the first modifiedvideo segments and at least certain ones of the original video segments,the method comprising: determining a locality of the viewer desiring toview the media presentation from the digital medium via a media playbackdevice; and selecting the first set of identifiers if the locality ofthe viewer is the first locality such that the first version of themedia presentation including the first modified video segments havingembedded advertisements for the first locality in place of correspondingoriginal video segments is presented to the viewer.
 13. The method ofclaim 12 wherein the digital medium further stores second modified videosegments corresponding to video segments of original version of themedia presentation and having embedded advertisements for a secondlocality, and a second set of identifiers defining a second version ofthe media presentation for the second locality formed by the secondmodified video segments and at least certain ones of the original videosegments, the method further comprising selecting the second set ofidentifiers if the locality of the viewer is the second locality suchthat the second version of the media presentation including the secondmodified video segments having embedded advertisements for the secondlocality is presented to the viewer.
 14. The method of claim 13 whereinthe original video segments are segments of the original version of themedia presentation not replaced in both the first and second versions ofthe media presentation.
 15. The method of claim 13 wherein the digitalmedium is a Digital Video Disc (DVD) and the first and second sets ofidentifiers are arrays of pointers.
 16. The method of claim 13 whereinthe original video segments comprise all video segments of the originalversion of the media presentation, the first set of identifiers definesthe first version of the media presentation such that the first modifiedvideo segments replace corresponding ones of the original videosegments, and the second set of identifiers defines the second versionof the media presentation such that the second modified video segmentsreplace corresponding ones of the original video segments.
 17. Themethod of claim 16 wherein the original video segments of the originalversion of the media presentation do not include embeddedadvertisements.
 18. The method of claim 16 wherein at least one of theoriginal video segments of the original version of the mediapresentation comprises a default embedded advertisement.
 19. The methodof claim 12 wherein the digital medium further stores default modifiedvideo segments corresponding to video segments of the original versionof the media presentation and having default embedded advertisementsthat are generally applicable to any locality, and a default set ofidentifiers defining a default version of the media presentation formedby the default modified video segments and at least ones of the originalvideo segments, and the method further comprises selecting the defaultset of identifiers if the locality of the viewer is unknown such thatthe default version of the media presentation is presented to theviewer.
 20. The method of claim 12 wherein determining the locality ofthe viewer comprises effecting presentation of a menu to the viewerenabling the viewer to identify the locality of the viewer.
 21. Themethod of claim 12 wherein determining the locality of the viewercomprises instructing the media playback device to obtain the localityof the viewer from a remote source.
 22. The method of claim 12 whereinthe at least certain ones of the original segments are ones of theoriginal video segments that when combined with the first modified videosegments form a complete version of the media presentation that includesthe embedded advertisements for the first locality embedded therein. 23.A non-transitory digital medium storing original video segments formingat least a portion of an original version of a media presentation, firstmodified video segments corresponding to video segments of the originalversion of the media presentation and having embedded advertisements fora first locality, and a first set of identifiers defining a firstversion of the media presentation for the first locality formed by thefirst modified video segments and at least certain ones of the originalvideo segments, the digital medium comprising instructions forinstructing a media playback device to: determine a locality of a viewerassociated with the media playback device desiring to view the mediapresentation; and select the first set of identifiers if the locality ofthe viewer is the first locality such that the first version of themedia presentation comprises the first modified video segments havingembedded advertisements for the first locality in place of correspondingoriginal video segments.